A Fool's Heart

by Nosferatu869

Ise's friends turned their back on him, didn't they? They didn't consider his feelings and selfishly pushed their own agenda. These actions have consequences. They will learn. Even if they don't want to. The road to becoming an adult is difficult, isn't it? But for the sake of the future, they ALL must mature. No more being stuck. Make your move, Ise.

15. Chapter 14: Daily Life?

We have returned! It has been QUITE a while. It really sucks that I've been having these big hiatuses in between my story updates, but I can't help it. I mean, trying to write the novel BLEEDS my energy, and my time. It's hard to dedicate any time to writing my fanfic stories since the novel takes up most of my time, and it's a mentally lofty task. And considering that writing the novel is what I do the most right now, it's quite difficult to then just switch to writing fanfic in my free time.

You can imagine that when I'm spending all day writing, I get a little tired of it. Which makes it hard to crack my knuckles and say "welp, now that I've spent 5 hours writing my novel, time to spend 3 more hours writing a completely different story in a selection of 4 major fanfic stories", lol.

What I'm trying to say is that it's hard to do both. So I've gotta prioritize the novel above all else. And to avoid exhausting myself and give myself a break, I avoid writing fanfic (or in general) in my free time.

Also, CORONA. VIRUS.

I go away for a bit and boom, world is fucking ENDING. Jesus man, how the fuck. It's a damn good thing I picked being an author for my future profession. I don't fucking go anywhere lol. For all of those of you were laid off from your jobs, I hope you're doing okay. And for those of you on the front lines working at essential businesses, don't take any chances. Wash your hands at every break and don't touch your face.

For those people working in the medical field right now, they're probably not reading this because they're so busy, but you're fucking heroes. If you've got somebody working medical that you know, make sure to let them know that they've got balls of fucking steel. They're our troopers right now.

All of that aside, I found time for this one again! So without further ado, let's get to it! Ise's return to his normal, everyday life! Nice!

Right..?

(This is an outdated update message. The author's notes at the end of the chapter will be more important and recent.)

---

GOD OF WAR

《Ares, you have returned.》

"Yes. I came to ask what your next course of action was, Hades."

《Mine? I will be doing nothing major myself. The place in which I prefer to battle is on the side, dragging in souls only when they die. That is how a war like this most benefits Hades. At least at first.》

"Is that so? Well, I am more restless than you. I couldn't be satisfied with that mindset."

《Indeed, even I know this. That is why you are speaking with me, isn't it? Then allow me to give you a more direct answer— I won't be acting just yet. Instead, I'll be providing some support to the enthusiastic fellow with the spear.》

"The Hero who wields Longinus? What will you have him do?"

《I'll have him do nothing, he acts of his own accord. Rather, I will be providing him with the "materials" he requires instead.》

"Reinforcements?"

《Perhaps more. Perhaps less. We shall see.》

"I see. In that case, perhaps I should provide him with my own support as well?"

《Hoh? You have something interesting in mind, Ares?》

"Yes. Unlike yourself, I am a god of war. I couldn't just sit idly by and do so little. I'd rather take a more direct approach..."

《To tempt the "shield of Aegis?"》

"More than tempt. To sharpen his edge into a lance. A weapon more to my liking."

《And you'll aim it towards Olympus?》

"I'll aim it wherever it may serve best. If it is Olympus, then yes. But even if it does not reach Olympus, so long as it pricks the skin of this world's gods, that will be enough chaos for me."

《Chaos, fafafa. An interesting choice of words, God of war.》

---

Part 1

"So it was your familiar that attacked Perseus first?"

"Yeah, she went completely psycho the moment she saw him."

In one of the rooms of my household, I was explaining the incident between Perseus and my familiar to Rias and my group after it happened. I explained it while having my shoulder, which was pierced by Perseus's sword, healed by Asia.

That's right. I've just returned home from Athens, where I received my godly gift from Perseus. After I asked Perseus if he knew anything about my familiar, Medusa, he requested that I bring her out. That's when all hell broke loose. Medusa attacked Perseus and tried to kill him. Perseus defended himself, but…

But that guy..! That guy, he..!

"So that was when Ise-sama's arm ended up being pierced? You defended your familiar, um, 'Medusa-san'?"

It was Ravel who asked me that. I nodded my head.

"Yeah… I had to do it to defend her. Otherwise, that blade would have pierced her, for sure. But that's why…"

I made a tight fist in frustration.

"Perseus… That guy..! He was clearly much stronger than my familiar! Being a Greek hero from legend that defeated the original Medusa, it was obvious that he had an advantage over my familiar. Despite that, that guy still tried to kill her! That bastard..! He could've just defended himself until I retracted Medusa, but he didn't! He went beyond that! He went too far! Maybe I shouldn't be angry...but it frustrates me! I mean, I get that he was just defending himself, but… That guy could've held back! Instead, he almost killed my familiar!"

I voiced my frustrations with a passion.

I mean, seriously! Am I wrong for feeling this way? I can't help but feel that guy should've held back! As a legendary hero, shouldn't he have known better? Don't powerful existences like those of us recorded in legend have a responsibility to control our powers?! Maybe it's wrong for me to feel like this because Medusa was trying to take his life, but..!

Rias shook her head to my statement.

"No, Ise is right to feel angry. Someone like Perseus who is a hero recorded in the world's legends should be able to hold back. Any warrior who is faced with an enemy weaker than themself should know how to properly restrain their strength. In that scenario, it was only your familiar who was truly at risk. It's not wrong to feel frustrated by that lack of tact."

Rias says it like that. So her opinion is that I'm right after all, huh. It's possible to say that she is biased, but I can't deny how I feel. I'm frustrated by that guy's actions, to the point that I want some sort of compensation. Like a good punch in the face kind of compensation.

But if I put all of that aside, what's left is Medusa's identity… Perseus said that Medusa wasn't actually Medusa herself, but rather her daughter… Medusa had a daughter? How can this be? Was there ever such a legend recorded in Greek mythology? I don't remember reading about that… So then, how?

"What is it, Ise-sama?"

As if reading my face, Ravel was able to tell that there was still something sitting on my mind.

"No, it's just… Perseus, he said.."

I stopped.

...Should I tell them? Is it okay for me to tell them what he said about my familiar's true identity? Is that the sort of information they should be privy to, or should it be kept a secret? I mean, certainly I'll tell Ravel about it, but….

….

What am I saying? Of course I should tell them.

Why wouldn't I?

"Perseus revealed to me the true identity of my familiar. He said that my "Medusa" isn't the original Medusa. Instead, he told me that my familiar is actually the original Medusa's 'daughter'."

[—?!]

Everyone appeared shocked by my words.

"Medusa's offspring?! How can that be possible?"

Rias exclaimed. I could only shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know that it is. It's just something he told me. Poseidon himself only told me that my familiar wasn't the true Medusa, but he never said who she was either."

"Was there ever a legend in which Medusa was said to have an offspring?"

Ravel asked that, but Akeno-chan shook her head.

"It was originally said that Medusa was cursed by Athena because of her jealousy towards Poseidon, who thought Medusa was beautiful. That's the closest thing that comes to a relationship that Medusa had with anyone in legend. But when it comes to a union which may have led to the birth of a child? There's nothing like that ever recorded in Greek myth, so far as we know."

Yeah, I've never seen or read anything related to that. It was said that the reason Medusa became Medusa was because of her relations with Poseidon, but there was never a child conceived from it. So how could it be that this "Medusa" exists?

Unless…

"What if she isn't a direct offspring? Isn't it possible that she could just be a "creation" of the original Medusa? Perhaps in the same way that the second Atlas was a creation of the original?"

(—!?)

Once Ravel expressed her theory, my brain kicked into gear and I had a revelation.

"That's it! Ravel, you're a genius!"

Ravel flinched because I exclaimed while grabbing her shoulders.

"Eh? W-What is it, Ise-sama?"

"Exactly what you said! My familiar, she isn't Medusa's "daughter, per se! My familiar couldn't be Medusa's daughter because there was no relation between Poseidon and Medusa, or any other man for that matter, after she became Medusa! So then that must mean that she isn't actually her offspring but rather a creation like Atlas was! —A [progeny]! My familiar is Medusa's progeny!"

Everyone in my group began to make faces of realisation after what I said.

"But how can you be so sure that it's the same situation, Ise? What evidence do we have to suggest that it isn't the contrary?"

Rias questioned my assumption, but I explained it properly.

"Well, first off, let's consider when Medusa could've gotten pregnant. If we say that it was during her time when she was a human, then that would mean the baby would have to be a complete humanoid. So what happens if she is cursed by Athena while she is pregnant with a humanoid baby? Would the baby suddenly start developing into a Gorgon while in the womb? Doubt it. Would the baby even survive if it didn't go through that metamorphosis? Probably not. So she couldn't have gotten pregnant while she was a human, unless the baby also ended up being born during her time as a human. But that would mean the baby wouldn't be a Gorgon, just a demigod, which my familiar clearly isn't. So then, is it unreasonable to assume that she didn't get pregnant when she was a Gorgon? I mean, wasn't the whole point of Athena's curse to make it so that no man could touch Medusa in the first place? Basically, that would mean that when Medusa was human and when she was a Gorgon are both unreasonable times for her to have gotten pregnant. Which means that the obvious conclusion we'd come to is that my familiar isn't actually an offspring, but instead a creation of her original self— in other words, a [progeny]— of the original Medusa!"

The members of my group were left speechless by my explanation. Rias, or actually everyone, was looking at me with faces like they were admiring me.

"I-I see… That certainly does make sense."

Rias says it as if she's astonished. Well, to be honest, Ravel should get more credit than me. She thought of it first, you know.

Akeno-chan says it with an interesting tone in her voice.

"Ara ara, I wouldn't have thought that Ise-kun could come up with such a well explored theory so quickly."

I couldn't help but feel slightly insulted by that implication.

"Hmm? Oh, come on, even I can use my brain when the time calls for it. You know that. Besides, I had plenty of "brain training" exercises with Shemhazai back at Grigori anyway. It's obvious that I'd come out of that with a better intuition."

Xenovia made a questionable face at me.

"Brain training? What is that, like math homework?"

"Actually, it's more like exercises in 'deductive reasoning for the mind using various hypothetical scenarios.' Or, at least that's how Shemhazai described it. I always just called it 'brain training' though since the name was too long. It was comprised of various battle scenarios with different difficulties. It's something that someone like you could benefit from, Xenovia."

Xenovia frowned at my statement.

"..I might be a meathead, but that's harsh even for you, Ise."

"It may be harsh but it's still true, don't you think?"

"As much as it pains me to say it, Ise-kun has a point, Xenovia."

Ah, Irina chimed in on that too.

"Uu, even Irina is saying it, huh…"

I couldn't help but laugh at Xenovia's dismay.

"Haha. Yeah well, now you know what it's like to get ganged up on. Doesn't feel good, does it? Heh."

—Immediately after I made that joke, the room went dead silent. Everyone's attitudes became absurdly awkward, and even Xenovia was making an expression of genuine shame.

"...Sorry."

That was all Xenovia said.

Ah. I realised it after Ravel and I exchanged looks of awkwardness.

"No, uh, it's just a joke, haha. Don't take it so seriously.."

I said that, but it didn't seem to totally alleviate the atmosphere, so I gave Xenovia a friendly pat on the back and smiled at everybody.

"Aww, c'mon now, I'm not bitter. I'm just messing with ya. No hard feelings, right, Ravel?"

"Y-Yes, that's right! Honestly, Ise-sama plays around too much.."

"Yeah, I guess I do. My bad, haha.."

Although it was still a bit awkward, that seemed to work enough to make everybody lighten up somewhat. Xenovia smiled. Although it was a hesitant smile, it was a smile nonetheless.

"..Y-Yeah, I guess Ise is right. I am just a meathead after all. Even during the match with Sairaorg, I defeated those enemies who beat down Gasper using only pure power. I was useless beyond that."

"Ah-ah, you mean the enemies that Gasper defeated."

To my sarcastic correction, Xenovia sighed.

"Haah.. Yeah, you're right. That was Gya-kun's win. I hardly even did anything. Man, I really am pathetic, aren't I?"

Aah, maybe I should hold off the criticism for Xenovia. This may begin to damage her pride, that is if it hasn't already.

"Now, now. Everyone needs work in one area or another. Everyone has their weaknesses and their strengths. It just so happens that Ise is an unnatural existence who seems to surpass all of those over time. It's not fair to compare. What matters most is how you develop in the future."

Rias said it to reassure Xenovia. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Uh, right, exactly what Rias said. I'm a bit of an abnormal case so maybe it's best for me not to say things like that after all. Just have faith in yourself. That should be enough."

From the corner of my vision, I noticed Rias making an elated expression. It must be because I called her by her name again. I see… Good for her.

…..Yeah, good for her…

"S-Speaking of the future, we should all get to bed soon. It is Ise-sama's first day of school in a while, so it's best if he— if we all get some rest. Right?"

I was interrupted from experiencing these complicated feelings within me by Ravel. She must've noticed it right away... Damn, that fast, huh? Was it that easy to tell or was it just because it was Ravel?

I probably already know the answer to that question.

"Yes, Ravel is right. It's Ise's prodigal return. We need to make sure we're all properly rested. With that being said, everyone, let's get some sleep. Shall we?"

With Rias's words, our group disbanded for the day and we gave our good nights. Rias was right after all. Tomorrow is my return to school after two months. I should be properly rested for it.

Yes, my return… A triumphant return. I guess…

So why does it feel so….insignificant to me?

….who knows.

—I also noticed the small detail of Ravel being ignored by an awkward looking Koneko-chan when everyone was giving their good nights, but I decided not to think too deeply about it.

Part 2

It's currently the morning after I have received my gift from the Grecian gods. Yeah, that was quite the day, wasn't it? Don't think that that isn't stuck in my mind even now. I can't really stop thinking about that, in fact.

Today, however, I will be returning to my normal daily life. And yes, that includes school. I'm...not totally sure if I'm ready for that just yet, but you gotta do what you gotta do, amirite? Won't get anywhere just sitting around, Azazel's trials taught me that well.

However, more importantly than that, something else is happening right now. Apparently, there's a discussion happening on my bed between two people. An unsurprisingly hostile discussion. More like an argument, now that I think about it.

While I was lying on my side, pretending to be asleep, this dis— Ahem, argument, was taking place.

"Akeno… How many times must I tell you.."

"Ufufu, I've made Rias angry."

Rias was talking with a twitch in her brow. Meanwhile, Akeno-chan is smiling like usual. From the looks of it, they're arguing about me… Sigh..

"How many times must I tell you that this is my and Ise's room! Stop sneaking in here!"

Yup, just like old times...

"Ara ara, Rias… Even after what has happened up to this point, do you really think you have the authority to say such things?"

Rias looks like she's struggling to counter Akeno-chan's points this time though.

"Wha… Well, that is..! Of course I do! Even still, as if that changes anything about your "authority!" Your place in the hierarchy hasn't changed, Akeno!"

Akeno-chan started giggling in an amused manner. There was a smugness present in her tone.

"Ufufu… Are you sure about that, Rias? I think I beg to differ."

"...What do you mean?"

Judging by her expression, Rias felt that Akeno-chan was alluding to something ominous.

"Fufu. Well, lately, I have been feeling that perhaps your position may have come into question? After what happened, I really don't see you being the..."most favorable" anymore. Perhaps the idea of me having an 'affair' with him might become unnecessary. After all, if there is no legal wife, then…"

Rias's face was only becoming more and more serious as the conversation went on.

"Akeno… Even as a joke, I don't like hearing such things."

Then, Akeno-chan lost her usual smile too.

"Maybe I'm not joking.."

The exchange went quiet for some time. Rias started it up again with a tinge of anger in her voice.

"Akeno… What makes you think that you have the right to say that?"

"...The fact that you may have lost your own, Rias."

Rias started shouting, but with a stutter present in her voice.

"No! B-But, just the other day, he started using my name! Not a nickname, but my real name! The thing that I've been waiting for, he finally…! Finally, he said it! ….Wouldn't you say that is a progression?!"

"Maybe, but how much does that mean? I think that a nickname has more affection attached to it, in its own way. Like the one he gave me. In my heart, that holds more weight than just addressing me as he would in the past, as his 'senpai'. Now, I have a way to be referred to, only by him. It's a way that you wouldn't address a senpai, yet he still does it. Because I'm not just his senpai anymore. And you may have become "Rias", but something like that could serve as a professional gesture for all we know… After all, I do recall him referring to you as "master" during the Sairaorg match, don't you? What if it's just the same as that? It might all depend on what he calls you at school."

Rias was having trouble arguing with Akeno-chan. For Rias to be stumped by what Akeno-chan says, that's rare. But it looks like she's finding it difficult to argue with her this time. Really difficult.

"What… That is… But, but I…."

I got tired of listening to their argument and made a yawning sound. After just waking up, this isn't something I wanna deal with, let alone be around.

"Aaah, morning~ Mm, Ravel? Huh? Where's Ravel?"

I asked while looking around, noticing that Ravel wasn't sleeping with me. If I had to guess, she's probably making breakfast. The girls realized that I was awake and acknowledged me. They both had pretty grim expressions. Probably because of their argument.

"Ise… Good morning."

"Good morning, Ise-kun. Ravel-chan is downstairs cooking breakfast."

Forget what I said before. It looks like Akeno-chan was able to bring back her usual attitude and smile just to acknowledge me. Rias's face didn't get better though.

"Ah, right. Duh. Thanks."

I scooted myself out of bed, acting as if I knew nothing about what had happened before. Seems like Rias had some suspicions about it.

"Ise?"

"Hm, yeah?"

"...Were you sleeping that whole time?"

Fortunately for me, with all of the time that I spent being willfully oblivious, I think I've gotten pretty good at playing dumb.

"Huh? What whole time?"

"...No, nevermind. It's nothing."

"Okay..? Well, I'm gonna head downstairs."

The moment I was trying to step away from the bed though, Asia showed up at the door.

"Ise-san, Rias-oneesama. Are you awake—?"

Asia's face changed when she saw Akeno-chan, and she ran up to the bed while yelling.

"A-Akeno-san?! Mou, again you were hiding in the bed without me even noticing?! It's not fair to me and Rias-oneesama that you keep doing that!"

I wanted to sigh because I immediately felt like something else was going to happen with Asia's appearance. I was right to think that.

"Ara ara, Asia-chan. I'm sorry about that. Maybe it is unfair to you. I'll give you a notice next time."

The atmosphere reverted back to what it was before, and surprisingly, Asia picked up on it and her attitude became awkward as well.

Rias whispered something to Akeno-chan in an exasperated tone.

"Akeno! That's enough, isn't it!"

Akeno-chan stopped right there and went quiet. But she still muttered something under her breath while looking to the side.

And with us being Devils and all, muttering it didn't change anything.

"...From the beginning, if it wasn't for you, none of this…"

"—A-Akeno-san!"

Asia interrupted Akeno-chan before she could mutter whatever she wanted to say.

Almost as if it was something she has said before.

"..."

Rias's expression became grim and she stayed that way for a while… I just made my attempt to leave in order to prevent myself from possibly escalating anything.

"Uh, I'm gonna go get some breakfast. I'll see you guys downstairs."

The girls were just quiet there when I left.

Sheesh, that was something. After something like that, I get the feeling that there's some tension between the girls that I don't know about. And it clearly has to do with what happened to me..

Oh well. To be honest, I'm not gonna let it bother me too much. It's something that only concerns the girls, not myself. The conflict may very well surround me, but it doesn't involve me. I had no part in it. I have the right to ignore it. They should be able to solve it themselves.

Besides, I have more important things to worry about today. After all, today is the day I return to school.

A return to my daily life….

Part 3

After eating breakfast, which was a pretty normal experience aside from Rias and Asia's awkward demeanours, it was time to go to school.

Excluding what happened when I woke up, things were fairly normal. My group and I were walking to school just like we used to. The only difference being that we ended up meeting with Gasper on the way and he joined our group. Kiba was with him too, but he seemed surprised about running into us. I guess he didn't realise that the reason Gasper suggested they take a different route to school was because I messaged Gasper and told him to join us.

Why, you ask? Well, I'd like to walk to school with my kouhai from now on, very simple.

—At some point while we were walking, I noticed that Ravel was walking slightly behind me.

"Hm, Ravel? What's up, you're falling behind a bit."

"Eh? Ah, no, I'm right here.."

"Come up here."

I urged Ravel to come closer while stepping to my left, creating a small gap between me and Akeno-chan, who was on my right. I didn't realise that I unintentionally caused Rias, who was on my left, to get pushed away from me though.

"..Yes, Ise-sama."

Ravel hesitantly took the space next to me and started walking beside me, between me and Akeno-chan. I smiled and continued walking, but I already felt how still the atmosphere had become.

I'm starting to get the feeling that I need to get used to this sort of thing. This might end up happening every time I do anything with Ravel now. Oh well. They better get used to it too then.

As we got closer to the school, I noticed that Gasper was carrying something wrapped in a cloth. It looked like a bento? But…the cloth that was wrapped around the bento was from my house, wasn't it?

"Hey, what's that?"

I asked Gasper while pointing to the wrapped box. He became reserved after my question.

"Oh, this is my bento…"

"Your bento, huh. Who made it for you? Did you pick up cooking?"

Gasper shook his head and pointed to my side.

"It was.."

"Ah, I made it, Ise-sama."

Ravel raised her hand and confirmed it.

"You made it, Ravel?"

"Yes. I made it for Gya-kun's morning training."

"Oooh, I see. That's why it has that familiar wrapping on it. —Wait, morning training?"

Something that Ravel said caught my interest. She glanced over to Gasper who lowered his head, presumably in embarrassment.

"Actually, yes, Ise-sama.. Gya-kun requested that I make him some bento for his morning exercises. He said that he felt very…disappointed with his performance during the rating game against Sairaorg. He hopes to become stronger than before on his own, without needing to rely on others anymore. That's why I made him a bento for training and for lunch."

That explanation made me turn my head.

"Gasper, you started morning training for something like that?"

Gasper nodded his head timidly.

"Gasper! If you were going to start morning training, you should've told me! I would've trained with you too!"

I suggested it enthusiastically, but Gasper looked ashamed.

"...I-I want to train so that I don't need to rely on others. I want to be a real man, like senpai. I can't do that if I rely on senpai every time.."

I couldn't help but smile and started patting Gasper's head.

"Gasper… There's no shame in relying on others. The idea that you want to get stronger on your own is fine, but you don't have to think that it makes you any less of a man to have help. I understand your feelings, but [a man is not an island], you know? You can't do everything on your own. Sure, there are things that you can learn by yourself, but there's also a lot of things that you would benefit from if you had someone to help you with. And personally, I feel like you can get a lot stronger if you trained with somebody like me."

"B-But, I'm always relying on senpai! So if I rely on senpai again, t-then maybe it's just like taking advantage of him..?"

Hearing Gasper say that made me lose my smile… His words are familiar. In fact, those are the same words I said to Yasaka-san. It's the exact same excuse I've used before…

I said it with a serious face.

"Gasper. If I'm offering you my help, then who's choice is it whether I help you?"

"..U-Um, yours?"

"That's right. It's my choice. If I try to help you, it's because I want to help you. So if I'm the one who has the desire to help you, how can you think that accepting my help would be taking advantage of me?"

"Because it's not fair.. Ise-senpai always does things for me, but I never do anything in return. I can't keep relying on senpai in that way.."

I firmly placed my hands on Gasper's shoulders.

"Gasper, I'm your senpai. And more than that, I'm your friend. You don't ever need to do anything in return for my actions. I don't do those things expecting anything in return."

"B-But I want to make it up to senpai!"

"That's okay! You can make it up to me if you want! But you don't have to refuse my help for that. I can help you train anyway and you can always make it up to me later. You don't need to think that you can't rely on me because it's hard to return the favor. Like I said, I'm your friend. I don't offer my help to keep you in my debt. You're my precious kouhai. If you really want to make it up to me.."

I smiled at Gasper to ease his worries.

"Just keep being my friend. Your support is all I need."

Gasper pouted and his eyes got teary.

"Uuu, senpai… I swear I'll make it up to you..!"

"Haha, I'm sure you will. But just let your senpai help out, ok?"

"Yes, t-thank you, senpai!"

I wanted to tell Gasper not to cry, but I'd rather not have him thinking that it's unmanly to be emotional. He's a little too impressionable in that sense, heh.

It was around this time that the conversation ended and we finally made it to the academy. On the way, there were probably a few students that we didn't notice, but there's no way we'd miss the students at or around the gate. Because they certainly didn't miss us. And our group became the center of attention the moment we entered the school grounds.

"Hey, that's…"

"Whoa, it's Hyoudou..! He's with his group. He showed up together with his group like normal.."

"It's been a while since we've seen their whole group together, hasn't it?"

"Why is Hyoudou back all of the sudden? Why'd he even leave in the first place?"

"Don't know, haven't seen him since the festival. Why'd he even come back?"

After hearing lots of comments, Gasper started to feel shy and hid behind my back while we were walking.

"Uu… Everyone's paying more attention to us than usual.."

"Don't worry about it, Gasper. It's not our problem at all."

"D-Doesn't it bother you, senpai?"

"No, it doesn't. Why would it? The opinions of others who aren't my friends don't matter to me."

"Uwaah, Ise-senpai is so adult-like.."

"Hahaha, really? Thanks."

But it is true that I don't really care about what they think or say anymore. I mean, why should I? It doesn't mean anything. I'm honestly not sure why it took me so long to figure that out. Maybe it's because I've been through way more life changing stuff recently that I realise how little people's opinions of me matter. I just have way more important stuff to focus myself on. I've always had more important shit going on, even since I first became a Devil. Yet I haven't realised till now how irrelevant their opinions are. How dumb of me.

Oh well, those days are over now. It's a new time now. It's time for my summer debut, except it's not even summer!

"Ah."

While I was walking with my group and we were basically being ogled at by countless students, I noticed a certain female student somewhere else in the school yard.

"Hey, you guys continue on without me, I'll see you in class."

"Where are you going, Ise-san?"

"I'm just gonna go talk to somebody!"

I left my group behind without explanation and went across the school yard to talk to a certain girl that I recognised from the tennis club.

"Hey, Abe-saaan!"

The person that I was running towards, Kiyomi Abe-senpai, was accompanied by a couple of her friends when I called her out.

"Te— Eh, Hyoudou?!"

Abe-san was shocked to see me, as were her friends who had a more severe reaction to my appearance.

"Eek, Hyoudou! He's back!"

"What do you want, Hyoudou?! We won't let you bother Kiyomi-senpai!"

I thought it was best to ignore the other two girls and just go on with the interaction as normal.

"Yo, Abe-san! We haven't met since the school festival, huh. It's been a while, but I'm finally back to school. How ya been?"

Despite my efforts, the other two girls were still trying to interfere.

"Go away, Hyoudou!"

"Yeah, can't you see she doesn't want to talk to you! Shoo!"

"Aw, c'mon girls, even I can hold a normal conversation."

I was trying to be civil about it instead of annoyed, because I at least wanted to make an effort, but Abe-san disrupted the two girls for me.

"Um, hey.. You two go on without me. I'll catch up."

"What?! Kiyomi-senpai, you can't actually mean you're gonna talk to this guy?!"

"Yeah, does he have blackmail on you or something!? Should we inform somebody?!"

"No, no, no, it's nothing like that. It's just… Look, just go on without me, okay? I'll be fine, trust me."

The two girls had worried looks on their faces, but Abe-san reassured them and they reluctantly let us be. Now that we were alone, we could talk normally.

"Sorry about that, Hyoudou.. You're still not the most popular, even after more than a month away."

Abe-san said that regretfully, but I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Ah, don't worry about it. If it changes, it changes. If it doesn't, who cares. Not my problem. Anyway, whatever. How've ya been?"

"Eh? Oh, me? I'm good. Thanks.."

"I see. Well, that's good to hear!"

Abe-san's attitude became a little shy while we were talking.

"Um… So, you're back."

"Yep! Back and better than ever!"

"...Back for good?"

"Mhmm, that's right!"

"I see…"

Abe-san started twiddling her fingers too. She seems nervous.

"Something wrong, Abe-san?"

"No, nothing's wr… wait, 'Abe-san'?!"

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"Eh?! Uh, no, nothing! It's just…! I, uh, didn't realise that we were past the point of you calling me 'senpai'..."

Oh, her face is red. Ooooooh. I must've started calling her Abe-san without realising it huh. I was hoping she wasn't bothered by it.

Well, time to push my luck.

"Oh, my bad, hehe. I guess it wasn't on purpose. Does it bother you?"

"What? No, no, no, of course not! It doesn't bother me! I-In fact, I wouldn't even bother with the honorifics… Haha, just kidding.."

Abe-san looked embarrassed after she muttered that. Is it a good idea to push my luck here, or would that be too much? What would Azazel tell me to do?

Hmm… Probably something like, [Have confidence]...

So basically… "Fuck it"?

Yeah, fuck it.

"No honorifics..? In that case, it'd just be 'Abe'? No, that doesn't really sound right coming out of my mouth, hehe… Then, how about just Kiyomi? How's that?"

At that moment, it looked like Abe-san's head exploded and it was beet red. She did a complete 180 immediately after what I said and was no longer looking at me.

"..!"

"K-Kiyomi? Are you okay? Sorry, is that not okay after all?"

"N-NO! I-I mean, yes! It is okay! It's great!— I MEAN, no! I have..!"

Abe-san went silent for a moment and took a deep breath. It looked like she was trying to compose herself. Still without looking at me, she said it a bit more clearly.

"...G-Go ahead and address me how you want. It doesn't matter to me. I-I don't mind… As long as it's you.."

"Sorry, what was that last part? I didn't quite catch that."

"N-Nothing! Just..! Call me whatever, I don't care!"

"Okay, okay, I got it. Sorry, haha. I guess there's not much room left for your old 'princess' attitude anymore lately, huh, Kiyomi?"

Abe-san, or rather Kiyomi, turned a little bit towards my direction but not enough to face me entirely. At least now I can tell that there's a pout on her face. Also, she was crossing her arms.

"..Are you teasing me?"

"Who, me? No way~"

"That stupid smirk says differently.."

"Aah, hahaha."

Honestly, the fact that I'm now somehow able to kind of get through that princess attitude of hers is really cute. There's something about that dynamic that I really like.

Maybe it's because it reminds me of Ravel?

Because of what I was thinking, I blurted out something honest.

"Hehehe, you know, I really like girls like you, Kiyomi. Girls like you are totally my type."

"..!?"

Ah.

I realised it only after it escaped my mouth. You know, that kinda sounds pretty suggestive when you think about it… Whoops..

—And perfectly on cue, Kiyomi covered her face with her hands and ran away from me.

"Ah, Kiyomi! Wait..!"

Nope, she bolted. Gone before I could even say anything. Well… Shit.

"Did you see that? Abe-senpai ran away crying from Hyoudou."

"Man, what a scumbag. Even after coming back from a personal vacation, he's still that type of guy huh."

That's what random students were saying about me. Haah, I guess that's just to be expected… Also, when I looked way up ahead of me, there were still a couple of club members looking back at me from the school building they were about to enter.

Well, maybe it's better that everybody thinks I just made her cry instead.. That would honestly cause less trouble for me somehow, I'm sure.

Part 4

After running into Kiyomi, I returned to class, accompanied by the seemingly endless stares of countless students. I ignored their stares and whispers until I got to my class, but when I opened the door to my class, it was particularly hard to ignore the stares from my classmates. Especially two very specific classmates…

Asia and Xenovia were already in their seats, along with another female student standing next to Asia in particular.

But most of all, amongst those stares that I cannot ignore, there are those two.

That's right. I'm referring to my two former partners in crime, Matsuda and Motohama, who I had a falling out with at the festival and are staring at me from their seats… I haven't spoken to them since then.

Well… If they don't interact with me, I won't do it with them, I suppose. Live and let live, right? Even though I kind of regret my "outburst" from the festival…

Thinking that, I walked over to my seat and sat down without paying the duo any mind, despite how close their desks are to mine. From my peripheral vision, I could tell that they were nudging each other and whispering things. Well, if they have anything to say, they should say it now. Class is going to start soon.

"Oh, if it isn't Hyoudou."

Next thing I know, the person who ended up approaching me first was none other than the perverted girl in glasses, Kiryuu. She spoke to me while adjusting her glasses.

"So, it looks like you're back huh."

"Mm, looks like it."

I was responding to her with a hand against my cheek in an indifferent manner. I've got nothing against Kiryuu, but I also don't have much to say to her.

She says it to me while pushing up her glasses.

"...Asia appears to be in a better mood now."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I see."

"..Yeah."

She went quiet for a moment. After the silent moment passed, she turned away from me.

"Well. Good. I'd prefer if that didn't change out of nowhere again."

She said that with some sort of implication right before she was about to step away. For some reason, there was a twitch in my brow and I felt compelled to reply.

"—It has nothing to do with you."

Kiryuu paused in her step and I said nothing else. We didn't even glance at each other.

"..."

Kiryuu just walked away without saying anything else.

It's unfortunate that all eyes have been on me and my group, because I'm sure that there were at least a couple of random students that heard that and are probably gossiping right about now. Well, whatever. Still not my problem.

"..Oy, Ise."

I couldn't dwell very long on what just happened because I was approached yet again by a different person. Or should I say, persons.

Yep. Just as I expected, I turned around and there the two were standing. My former partners in crime. With very awkward posture and attitudes, mind you. And this isn't the type of innocent awkwardness that happened with Kiyomi. It's a whole different sorta awkward, you know?

"Yeah?"

I was greeting them with more of a neutral attitude rather than an unfriendly one. Being hostile won't help anything, despite whatever grievances I may have expressed. Still, after I responded, it seemed like the two of them were having trouble with who was gonna say what. C'mon, class is gonna start any minute now, you're only wasting time.

"...Hey."

"Hey?"

They really don't know what to say, huh. Can't say I blame them. I'm a little at a loss as well…

"...Well, you know.."

Motohama wasn't able to say anything at first, but it seems like Matsuda was going to start.

"..Uh, listen… Ugh, you know, about the thing that happened at the festival… No, actually, not just that. About everything. You know, all of the bad stuff… The stuff that we did… The stuff that we do… You know, we just wanted to say… Sorry."

They apologised…

"...Yeah, sorry."

Both of them apologised…

"...Sorry? For what?"

I decided to pry further. If they're really sorry, they should know what it is they're sorry about.

"Everything… You know. The rumours, the badmouthing, the jealousy, the way we treat each other… You know, all of that."

"Yeah, uh… We don't always treat each other that great even though we're friends, but we never wanted to hurt each other or anything like that. We've just been pretty immature all this time, so we did dumb things. We all did, ya know?"

Matsuda was nodding his head in agreement with Motohama's words, and the two of them were both rubbing their necks in an awkward manner.

Well, Motohama isn't wrong… It is "we", not "them"... After all, those were sins I've committed too. Yeah, that's right.

When Motohama tried to hit on that one girl in middle school and was actually having some luck, it was me and Matsuda who fucked him over by writing some obscene kanji on his glasses, only for them to end up broken after he tried to clean them. It ruined his chances with that girl. We did that. That was how petty we were in our jealousy. And that wasn't the only time something like that happened. We constantly kept each other from having any chances with girls just as much as ourselves..

Maybe that was in the past, but... nowadays, Matsuda and Motohama were the ones who were filled with jealousy towards me, thanks to my connection to the ORC, and they sprouted all of those bad rumours about me because of that. Nothing's changed.

But… We're all guilty of screwing each other in some way. That's why I said what I said at the festival. That's not how "friends" treat each other. Not the way we have… That's why I…

("Listen, Ise. Part of being an adult is being mature, obviously. And part of maturity is forgiveness. Now, I'm not saying you have to forgive everything. There are naturally some things that you shouldn't forgive, even some things that it'd be irresponsible to forgive. However, sometimes, you need to be the bigger person. In order to do that, you may need to forgive. You don't need to forget anything anyone's ever done to you or pretend that it didn't happen. But holding on to grudges and acting petty, that isn't how adults handle things. They move on. Rise above it. Most people have bigger things to worry about, and this is especially true for you. In the end, it's up to you whether to forgive anyone or not, and it's your choice on what to forgive. In the end, the choice is always yours. But whether you're forgiving or not, moving on is always the best option. Hell, you don't even have to forgive to move on. But if you don't move on, you'll only be doing a disservice to yourself.")

..I remembered those words that Azazel gave to me.

Yeah, forgiveness is a choice, and it's up to me what I do and don't forgive… But forgiveness may be the most mature option to take in many scenarios. And even if it isn't, moving on is still the number one option, regardless of whether it concludes forgiveness or not.

So the question here is whether to forgive or not. Because moving on is a given. It's just the difference between moving on with them, or without them…

I let out a sigh.

"Matsuda, Motohama…"

After thinking about it for a bit, I said it to them.

"Real friends don't spread nasty rumours about each other, ruin each other's chances with getting girls, abandon each other when the peep sessions go wrong, or anything else like that. Maybe we'd have problems, but even so, friends should know where to draw the line… All three of us should understand that doing the immature things that we do will only damage the friendship at the end of the day. And if we aren't willing to lose that friendship altogether, then we shouldn't act that way… We should know that, and yet, we haven't acted like it.. Have we?"

When I asked that, they both replied in ashamed tones.

"Nah, man.."

"...Not really huh."

"Yeah, we haven't. We haven't really…. So if that's the case, what's that make us then? In the end, does that even make us friends?"

They didn't say anything for a little bit. Even I myself was unable to answer the question that I presented to them…

After everything that's happened between us, what does that make us? Are we really friends?

While we were lingering in our silence, the rest of the classroom was moving around to prepare themselves for class. Our teacher should be here at any minute. We don't really have any time left. I guess that's that, huh..

But just when I had assumed that there was nothing more that any of us could say, Matsuda started talking about something nostalgic.

"...Hey, you guys remember that time when we tried to binge a certain arc from Dragon ball? But we were really naive and underestimated how long it would take, so we ended up staying up for the entire night, and in the end, we didn't even get halfway through? Haha, my mum was really mad at us huh?"

Out of nowhere, Matsuda was suddenly talking about past memories. It felt out of place. Yet, Motohama and I didn't interrupt him..

In fact, Motohama added to the story.

"Yes. She was so mad that she made you clean the bathroom even though it wasn't really dirty. Meanwhile Ise and I were playing video games in your room feeling awkward about what to do since you were being punished."

"Yea, yea. And in the end, all three of us ended up getting fevers the next day because we were sleep deprived and we'd left the window open during the night binge..!"

The two of them were close to laughing while recalling that story..

..Yeah, I remember that too. We underestimated the length of Dragon ball and suffered the consequences. Not to mention, every one of us caught a fever the next day because of it. And we were in middle school too. Could you imagine?

"Ah, there was also that time at the amusement park when Matsuda thought he lost his brand new phone his mum got him, and we spent like 3 hours just trying to look for it because he was terrified of his mother. But of course, it was in his back pocket the whole time, he just forgot he put it there when we got on a certain ride."

I remember that too. Matsuda didn't usually put his phone in his back pocket, he'd always put it in the front. So checking his back pocket completely slipped his mind. We wasted a bunch of time looking and asking around, and we were only able to eat a meal and ride two more rides with the time left after that. It was a mess of a day. And yet, it's a nostalgic memory, huh…

"I still can't believe it was in there the whole time… I was so angry with myself."

"You were angry with yourself? You made Ise and I look for it with you and wasted our precious amusement park time too, you know? Not to mention, you looked like you were gonna cry the more the time passed."

"I mean yeah, man, c'mon..! Do you know what my mum would've done if I had lost it? You remember what she was like? She would've killed me!"

"That's true. Your mum scared even me and Ise too. That's probably why we helped you look for it, haha.."

...No. That's wrong.

"No. We helped him because we were his friends."

I blurted that out without looking directly at them.

"..Isn't that right?"

For the first time during the conversation, the two of them made...sad faces.

"Yea, you're right…"

Yeah… We didn't help Matsuda just because we were scared of his mum. Because at the end of the day, we could've just avoided her, unlike Matsuda himself. No. The reason we helped him was because he was our friend. Because it was the first time we had ever seen Matsuda get close to being brought to tears over something. He was genuinely distraught and ashamed of himself, calling himself a loser and a moron who can't do anything right, over and over again..

..As his friends, Motohama and I couldn't ignore it.

Yes, that's right. That was the real reason… It's because we were friends. That's why we did it.

But nowadays, we're…

"Neh, Ise…"

Matsuda gave his final word on the matter.

"If you no longer want to be friends, we understand… I guess we kinda deserve it anyway. We just don't want you to think that there's any bad blood… We've made mistakes, but we were always friends.. Or I guess we were more like "comrades", huh... Either way, all of those good times, and the shenanigans we did…. All of that… Even though we fucked up... We just want you to know.."

..He ended it with a bit of a sad smile.

"They never meant "nothing" to us… ya know?"

For some reason, that part left me with a slight feeling of hurt…

So is that it? Is that the end of the infamous perverted trio..? Have I effectively ended our friendship? And if I have, is that the best choice? Did I make the right decision back at the festival? Is it the right decision to walk away from it and not speak to them anymore? Is that the "mature" thing to do?

Surely, I'll move on from it. And moving on is always the greatest option. But…

….Maybe the best thing to do here isn't to ask what's the "right decision", but rather.. if this is what I want or not.

"..'Never meant nothing' is improper use of grammar, you know?"

Matsuda replied with an awkward smile to my correction.

"Oh, yeah, huh.. I've always had a problem with that sort of stuff. Though, usually it was Motohama who corrected me."

"..Well, I always had the best scores in our grammar classes after all."

Is what Motohama responded with. Yeah, Motohama is an idiot, but he was the smartest idiot amongst the three of us.

….For a reason unknown to myself, I felt compelled to bring up an old story from the past.

..No, I know the reason, don't I?

"..Hey. You guys remember that time we went down by that one lake? You know, the one we tried secretly fishing at using Motohama's dad's gear?"

The two of them were surprised by my question, but they still responded in kind.

"Oh yeah… That was when Ise told us the story of how he broke his pop's fishing rod when he was a kid, and that he never went fishing again after that."

"..That's why we went to get my dad's gear behind his back, so that we could have Ise try fishing again. Since we thought he would be too afraid to fish with his dad after what happened, we thought if we got him used to it, they might be able to go fishing together again."

"Yeah. That was super expensive gear too. I can't imagine what would've happened if we'd broken that."

"My dad probably would've never let me see you guys again."

"But we'd still probably meet up anyway, haha."

They both got a chuckle from recalling that story. Yeah, that's right. They did that for me, back then. They did that - because they were my friends.

….

Yeah, it's as I thought… The question here isn't what's "wisest", it's what I want.

Because in the end, it's all about what I'm personally willing to forgive. And when I think about it…what's easier for me to forgive?

Jealous friends that spread some bad rumours about me, which I'm no longer even bothered by, to random students whose opinions I no longer care for…

Or…

Friends who I've made every effort to protect and support, gave every piece of myself to, and expressed all of my earnest feelings towards…only for them to turn away from me with disappointment and disdain in their eyes, leaving me to shoulder the burden of every problem…

All because I didn't say...a name…

….

….

[Partner. Your hands have begun to tremble. Quell your anger.]

Anger…? Is that what it is?

….Am I "angry"….?

….

"You know, I'd like to visit that lake again someday.."

While my thoughts were jumbled up, I felt compelled to say that. Hearing me, the two of them glanced at each other before Motohama spoke.

"..Well, the three of us could go there again… You know, just like old times?"

Like old times, huh..

I stood up from my seat, finally facing the two directly..

"Y'know…"

..And I extended my hand to them.

"I think that'd be alright."

The two perverts faces lit up like I've never seen before, even more than when we had just found the greatest erotic treasures together. They gave each other relieved smiles, and they even appeared...happy. They both then clasped my hand in theirs with a sense of camaraderie.

" "Yeah!" "

..Yeah, this is okay. I'm alright with this after all. It's true that we've had our problems in the past, but in the end, these guys… They were still my friends, weren't they? All of those good times weren't worthless to me either. They meant something to me too. And even though they may have done some stupid things, we've all done stupid things.

And above all of that, if I'm willing to forgive… what happened with my fellow club members, then why not forgive these two knuckleheads? They clearly regret it. And if they have the maturity to apologise for it and try to leave us all on amicable terms, then I'm willing to take a chance on them. If it's for the sake of preserving a long-time friendship between three idiots, maybe it's worth it.

"What's going on? It looks like the perverted trio is making up with each other over there."

"Oh great. And here I thought that one good thing came outta Hyoudou returning from his trip."

A couple of random students provided their unsolicited commentary once again. Well, whatever.

—And so, the perverted trio was reformed. Sort of.

---

The first periods were already over, and things were seemingly back to normal again. During the time in between our classes, my two partners in crime and I were just passing time talking. Our conversations right now are quite a bit more lighthearted than they've been in a long time. It feels like there's been a burden lifted from our friendship and now it's stronger than ever.

"Don't worry about those rumours, Ise. We'll do our best to correct those soon enough. It'll take some time, but leave it to us!"

Matsuda says confidently. Apparently he and Motohama want to make an effort to eradicate those nasty rumours about me in the school.

"No, well, it's okay. I honestly don't really mind it anymore. I couldn't care less about what everybody else in the academy thinks about me at this point."

I tried saying that, but Matsuda just put his hand up and shook his head.

"No, it's fine! Don't worry! We're men too! We can take full responsibility for our actions! Just leave it to us, we'll handle the rest! Right, Motohama?"

"Yes, we'll definitely take care of it. It'll be difficult though. If you think about it, people hate Ise anyway because of their jealousy. So even without our rumours, I'm sure they'll hate him just the same. I could even say that part of the reason they even believed the rumours we spread was just because they hate him, whether they think it's true or not. They may have even created their own rumours if we weren't around."

Motohama gives his thorough understanding of the situation. Yes, that's true. I imagine that, even if these two had never spread rumours about me from the beginning, the rest of the academy's students would have conjured up something, just because of their jealousy of me.

So what? Keep being jealous, haha.

"Well, regardless, we're still gonna try our best!"

"Aha, how very mature of you."

I couldn't convince them otherwise. Well, that's okay. It's a nice gesture anyway. I appreciate it.

"Oh, and, speaking of which, Ise. Now that you're back, don't worry about the 'every man for himself' thing when it comes to the kendo club. Next time we go peeping, we're sticking together! Even if it means we get beaten, at least we'll go down as a team! Right, Motohama?"

Matsuda makes that proclamation while putting a fist to his chest. Haha, is that supposed to reassure me?

"Y-Yes, definitely… As a team.."

Motohama gives a thumbs up while his hand is trembling a little bit. He seems hesitant compared to Matsuda. Ah, well, Motohama was never good with pain. But since Matsuda was an athlete in the past, he's probably fine with it.

"Nah, well, I don't think that's really a problem anymore. I won't be peeping anytime soon after all. In fact, I'm probably not ever going to peep here at school again."

—When I said that, it was like the world stopped. Even a few students who were having their own conversations suddenly shut up as if they just happened to catch it by chance.

"Huh? What? What's with the staring?"

Matsuda and Motohama were looking at me as if I was dying right in front of their eyes. Matsuda told Motohama with a worried voice..

"Motohama, call an ambulance."

"Yeah, I'm already calling."

Hey, hey, wait a second! Don't just go suddenly calling for medical attention! Motohama, put your phone away! Don't keep it up to your ear as if you're anxious for someone to answer!

"Oy, oy, calm down, you two! I'm fine! What's with your reactions? Is it that crazy to say that I don't like getting beat up at school?"

I thought I was being reasonable, but both of these guys were speaking to me like I was insane.

"Are you insane?! Of course it's crazy! Since when did you decide that you would let fear destroy your ambitions?!"

"You're saying it like it's something really serious, but it's really not."

"It is serious, Ise! It was already concerning that you had begun to peep with us less and less as time went by after joining that club— but now you're going cold turkey?!"

"No, well, it can't really be called 'cold turkey' if it happens over a long time, right?"

"Even so! It doesn't make sense for someone like you to suddenly give up on it!"

"That's right! It's just as Motohama said!"

Both of these numbskulls were slamming my desk in a righteous way, causing even more attention to be brought to us. Well, if I ever had the idea of keeping a 'low profile' for my first day back at school, it's dead now.

"Ise's head must have sustained major damage during his fight with Sairaorg.."

Wah! Xenovia was examining my head from behind me out of nowhere! Even Asia and Kiryuu have suddenly appeared here too! When the hell did you guys sneak up on me?!

"..Ise-san, please come with me. I will heal your head."

Asia's so convinced something's wrong with me that she's holding her hands up like she's ready to use her powers right here! C'mon, do I look injured to you?!

"What sort of development did you go through when you were away, Hyoudou?"

Kiryuu asked that with an analytical expression. Matsuda got in my face about it too.

"Yea, what the hell did you do while you were gone?! Did you go on some spiritual journey or something?! Was it nirvana?!"

"Well, I killed a god, I guess, hehe.."

"You found God?! Which one?! Buddha?!"

I thought it was okay to say it because they weren't listening to me anyway. But I think it matters more that they're idiots instead.

Then Kiryuu asked a question that made all of their eyes pop out of their heads.

"Did you possibly…. lose your virginity?"

They froze.

Wait, what? Lose my virginity? No, no, no, that didn't happen. You know there's no way that happened, right?

I thought that, but they were all seriously staring at me with faces of disbelief!

"No, no, wait a minute! You know that's not true, right?! You know there's no way that happened, right?! Hey, you guys?!"

I was shocked by the fact that they would believe that! Even Xenovia was in disbelief, and Asia had a face that told me she was heartbroken! I mean, c'mon! Sure, I killed a titan-god, but I (unfortunately) still don't have the guts to get laid just yet!

...Although, I did get close to doing it with Ravel that one time at Grigori..

"Right now you just made a face that said "I almost did it", didn't you?"

Kiryuu said that dubiously while analysing me. Damn perverted girl! You know too much!

"Don't make assumptions about people, pervy-megane! And you two, stop staring at me like I'm a different person that you don't recognise anymore! Asia and Xenovia too, you should both know that isn't the case! Obviously it's not true! You believe me, right?!"

I tried to clear my name (though it's a weird way of phrasing it), but Asia and Xenovia didn't seem convinced. Wow, Asia has a really heartbroken face..! It's a face that implies that her worst fears have been confirmed or something like that! It's actually giving me a complicated feeling that I don't understand…

It seems like Kiryuu noticed it too. That's probably why she unexpectedly changed her tune.

"Nah, you're right. Someone like Hyoudou could never go through with it. Your eyes are still the same anyway. You clearly have a different sort of confidence now, but it looks like that doesn't matter much. Not when it comes to doing that, at least."

So she said it to make Asia feel better, huh… For all of the complaints I may have about Kiryuu, I can't call her a bad friend to Asia... though she is a bit of a bad influence on her.

Still, that looks like it managed to convince them.

"That's right. This is Ise we're talking about. Even if he's not trying to peep anymore, that wouldn't automatically mean he's not a virgin."

"Yeah, that's true. He doesn't have the guts."

Matsuda and Motohama say it with no doubts. Wow, thanks a lot, guys. Xenovia and Asia also appeared to believe it and calmed down. Yea, yea, I'm still a virgin okay. Leave me alone.

"I gotta say though, hearing that Hyoudou doesn't plan on peeping anymore is surprising to me. In fact, I'd say it's basically unbelievable."

Ugh, Kiryuu starts up that conversation again. Matsuda nods his head in agreement with her.

"Yeah, I can't understand that either! What made you say that, Ise?"

"Ugh… Look, it's just.. I have more important stuff to focus on, okay? I can't really be wasting my time on peeping and stuff like that."

That answer looked like it made Matsuda and Motohama's eyes pop out of their heads.

"Something more important than your hopes and dreams?!"

"Yeah, like what?!"

"Well, that's.."

—I ended up going silent with their question.

...What is it that I want to focus on..?

Now that I think about it, I… What is it that I want to pursue right now?

Ever since my comforting talk with Yasaka-san, and the celebration at Phenex castle, I haven't had any doubts concerning my motivation. I properly have my motivation intact, and I'm ready to pursue whatever it is that I want to pursue. But… What is that thing I want to pursue? What's my goal? What's my first goal..?

I..don't know.

Shit… Okay well, first, let's organise my thoughts. What are my major goals in the first place?

Well, I want to confess to Ravel. That's a given. I also wanna start dating Ravel... I also wanna have sex with Ravel. I also wanna make Ravel my servant. I also wanna marry Ravel. Then—

[Partner, you're getting distracted.]

Eh? Oh, right! Shit. My bad, I got sidetracked. Anyway…

Let's start over, from the top. —First, I wanna confess to Ravel. That's a definite. That won't change. Right, something else would be… I want to make Ravel my servant…

[Partner..]

S-Shut up, Ddraig! I can't help it, okay! I'm in love! Leave me be! Besides, it's still a goal of mine so it counts! Anyway..! Another thing would be..!

I want to become the…ultimate pawn..?

That's….the promise I made to Rias, wasn't it..? It was my dream as a Devil. That promise… Should I uphold it?

….

Who am I kidding? Of course I should. A promise is a promise, no matter what the circumstances.

Yeah… I'm a man of my word. I keep my promises. That's how it should be. That's who I am.

…...Right?

But, now that I think about it…. Why do I keep getting the feeling that I have, um, "surpassed", such a dream..? Is that odd to say? That I feel as if that sort of dream is...not good enough anymore? Not "great" enough… Is it wrong for me to think that way? Am I thinking something weird, Ddraig?

[No. In fact, if what you are telling me is true, then this may be a very good thing.. I will be as honest with you as I always am, partner. In the past, I have not always supported your dreams.]

Yeah, tell me about it..

[Forgive me, partner. But it's no secret that your dreams don't present the best image for the Sekiryuutei. They certainly never gave off the impression of "greatness."]

Yeah, I guess that's true. Chichiryuutei isn't very honourable, huh.

[No, it isn't. However, despite that, you are my partner. Discouraging you from pursuing your dreams or accomplishing your goals, that's not something a partner does. That's why I won't do it. That being said, if you yourself feel that your dreams must evolve, then I certainly won't complain. After what you have been through as of recently, thinking that your aspirations should become something greater is logical. The problem is: what exactly does that entail?]

You're right. What's more interesting isn't the feeling itself, but what my aspirations become after they've evolved.. I mean, I'm not even sure if I have the slightest clue what my aspirations should be above just becoming an ultimate-class devil or the ultimate pawn…

For some reason, I was reminded of those words said to me by the snake, the Greek god of the underworld, Hades.

(《Should there be a day that you decide to set foot in the realm of gods, I will greet you… However, should you decide to fulfill the [opposite] role and take up the "mantle" that you yourself have created… I will likely be there to erase your "list" along with you…》)

….

I'm not going to let someone like Hades dictate what I do. A snake who slithers behind the scenes without showing his true face.. For a god, how uncharacteristic can you get? I won't allow a being like him to deter me from anything.

Just thinking about the idea of letting him control me through fear like that… It's stirring up something inside of me.

[It seems "he" agrees with you.]

What was that, Ddraig?

[No, it's nothing, partner. More importantly, are you trying to insinuate that you plan to become a true godkiller?]

Oh, no. Well, that's… I mean, there's no way I'd plan to do something like that. That's a little too crazy, even for me.

[So I can assume you wish to become an "arbiter of the gods" then?]

Uh, I don't know about that. I mean, am I really in a position to be holding gods accountable for their actions? A guy who was born a human and is a reincarnated devil… Someone like me..

Are..? "Someone like me"..? Where have I heard that before?

[Oh? Where has your godlike confidence gone, partner? You have the guts to threaten Hades, refuse to abide by his rules, and even threaten all of the evil doers of the world. Yet you don't have the confidence to see through your ambition? Was it not a promise that you made during your fight with the Devil who wields the lion's mane? Are you not a man of your word?]

..Well, when you say it like that..

"..Mmmm…"

I started to hum aloud in a frustrated manner while I was deep in thought.

"Hmm? What's up, Ise? Need to take a dump or something?"

I couldn't acknowledge Matsuda's question because I was still struggling more and more with my own ruminations.

"Mmmmmmmm..!"

I don't know what I want to do..! I don't know exactly what I want to do..! But..! BUT..!

—My frustration boiled over and caused me to shout while standing out of my seat.

"Mm-aaaaaah, I want to do something great!"

[—!]

The class and my friends were silenced by my outburst.

"...Oy, Ise. By great, do you mean you want to jump to assault? I know we're perverts, but we aren't criminals, you know."

Even though Motohama said something stupid, I didn't register it. Because with my outburst, I had a big realisation.

—That's it! I want to do something "great!"

Yes, that's it! I want to do "great" things! That's why it feels like my dream of becoming the ultimate pawn is smaller now! It's because my worldview has widened its range! The scope of things that I can do has been expanded. Just like how I feel that I refuse to back down to Hades, I feel that my standards for aspiration have grown. So something like "becoming the ultimate pawn" won't satisfy me anymore! I can only view something of that level as smaller than before!

Something like that only affects my status as a Devil, in Devil society. Meanwhile, "being the strongest Sekiryuutei in history" or something like that, affects the entire world! That's right! I don't want to only do something like that! Yes, that's right! I want to do something that affects the world! I want to make the whole world shake!

I don't want my legacy to be "Hyoudou Issei, the ultimate pawn!" I want to be more than that! I want to set my sights higher! I want to go beyond that! I want an aspiration that reaches even the heavens! I want the world to look at me and say "that's Hyoudou Issei, the..!"

...The Dragon of Aegis!

Whatever that means..! You know what I mean, Ddraig?! Or maybe I'm being crazy after all..?

I asked that, but Ddraig was quiet for a little while.

[...]

He was quiet until I heard a faint rumbling sound within myself.

[...Mm… Hm, hm..]

Ddraig..?

[Hm, hm… Muhuhu….]

...Uhh, Ddrai—

[MWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Ddraig suddenly let out a burst of laughter that shook my head and hurt my ears!

"OW, MY HEAD!"

"What's wrong, Ise-san?! Did your battle with Sairaorg-san hurt your head after all?!"

Ddraig! What the hell?!

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! —That's right, partner! You're exactly right! The Sekiryuutei could never be boiled down to such an insignificant level as "pawn!" We must soar higher! To heights that have never been flown to before! We must fly so high that our silhouette encompasses the world!]

...Uh oh. I think I overjoyed Ddraig.. I know that should technically be a good thing, but…

[That's right! We shall soar to ever greater heights! Any of those who said in our way shall be extinguished from this world! There are none who can deny the path of Sekiryuutei! Not even the gods themselves! Dragons are an existence which represent power, and glory! Dragons are the beings which once ruled the earth! And so it shall be once again! The time of the Dragon is nigh! Ahahahahahahahaha!]

Oh yeah, I broke him alright. He may have recovered from his heart disease out of nowhere, but he certainly hasn't recovered from the mental damage…

Whatever! The point stays the same. It's just as Ddraig said. There's no way I'm going to be leaving my existence as just one that is held to a mere title like "pawn!" I must go beyond that! I owe it to myself, as the host of Sekiryuutei, to go even further beyond!

As a man of my word, I have to keep my promise to the world! If I back down from what I've said, then what will that make me?! No, I refuse!

I refuse to adhere to Hades' standards! I refuse to adhere to my standards of the past! I refuse to adhere to just the standards of the underworld!

And I refuse to be just a "pawn of Gremory!"

Part 5

We were at home now. My first day of school is already over, and now everybody is studying and doing their thing here. Kiba and Akeno-chan have begun studying diligently for their Mid-Class promotion tests. As for me, I also began studying — with the help of Ravel, who collected all of the necessary materials on my behalf— for the promotion test at the same time as them, but…

While everybody was doing their thing, as planned, I did something that was...unexpected to my comrades.

"Rias."

I called out to Rias who was looking over some documents in one part of my massive living room. Most of the other members were also present, doing homework or playing games, etc.

Rias looked up from her documents at me. She was immediately in a good mood, as she has been these past few days. Every time I call her by her name, her face seems to light up..

"What is it, Ise? Oh, are you having trouble with your studies? Would you like some help?"

I put down my own documents that I held in my hand, the ones needed to prepare for the Mid-Class promotion test, onto the table in front of Rias.

I told her in a serious enough of a tone as to not be misunderstood.

"Sorry. But I won't be taking my promotion test."

[—?!]

Everybody around me stopped what they were doing and started listening. Rias had an expression that said she hadn't quite registered it yet.

"...You won't be taking it? What do you mean, Ise?"

"I mean what I said. I won't be taking it. I'm sorry."

I tried to walk away with that, but maybe that was stupid. Of course it wouldn't be left at that. Rias stood up in shock.

"W-Wait, Ise! You said that you won't be taking it… But I don't understand. Why would you say that?"

"I say it because I mean it. I'm not going to take it. At least, not anytime soon."

"...But, I don't understand— why?"

…[Because I don't want to be seen as just a pawn] is what I want to say, but…. To Rias, how would that sound? Considering how she's handled basically anything up to this point.. Yeah, I can't say it. Hearing that wouldn't make her feel very good.

"The truth is… There's some other things I want to accomplish right now. Other things I want to focus on."

"...Other things? What other things could there possibly be? Isn't it your dream to become a High-Class Devil..?"

How do I explain it? Even I don't know how to properly say it…

"It…may be. But that doesn't mean it's my only goal. I have other aspirations. And I want to focus my energy on those first."

"But… Becoming a High-Class Devil and creating a peerage… Was that not your number one dream?"

Unfortunately, I didn't have anything more to say..

"..If you don't understand, that's fine… Even so, this is something that I want— no, it's something that I need to do."

"Wait— Ise!"

I walked away this time. Yes, this is something I need to do. I can feel it. If I were to limit myself to just my aspirations as a Devil, I wouldn't feel satisfied. I know it. That's why…

"Ise-sama..!"

After I separated from everyone else and was headed upstairs, Ravel caught up to me. She had a bit of a concerned expression. When she stopped me in the middle of the stairs, she looked into my eyes. It was as if she was inspecting me, reading my feelings. She just gazed silently into my eyes without saying anything..

Deep sea blue eyes... I really love those.

"...I.."

She let go of my hand, which she had grabbed onto before.

"..I understand. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need support with anything, Ise-sama."

She said it with a kind smile… My heart was filled with a relief that I didn't realise I needed.

"..Thanks, Ravel."

"Of course, Ise-sama."

Ravel gave me a courteous bow and left me alone after that… As I thought, even without an explanation, Ravel understands me immediately. She may not know why I'm doing this, but even so, she understands that there is something I want to do. Even though she's my manager and future servant, my decision goes against her best interests… Yet, despite that, she's totally willing to support me with no hesitation. That sort of blind trust and faith...I can't take it for granted.

That being said, I have to do what I have to do. And that starts with a call…

---

The next day, we were training as a group in Gremory's personal training space. Specifically, I was training with Gasper.

[Maximum Jet!]

I was using my Triaina Olympic Messenger against Gasper. Because he said that he wanted to train in the mornings, I promised to train with him. As his senpai, it's my responsibility to help him after all! That's why, right now we are training his power to stop things with high speeds using his eyes. I'm currently zipping around the field at an intense speed (though not too intense so else he can't follow), waiting for Gasper to freeze me using his power.

Lately, Gasper has been too reliant on my blood. This is something that I am very aware of. Without using it, Gasper can't accomplish anywhere near as much as he could. So I'm trying to have him stop me in my Triaina knight form without having the power boost from my blood.

...What? Is that too much after all? Well, too late now, I suppose.

Also, as a miscellaneous piece of information, a few members of my group happen to be with us as well. It seems that Kiba, Xenovia, and Rossweisse were interested in joining us as well. Of course Ravel is present too, but that's probably just because of me.

Pshyyooooooooooooooooooom!

I've been boosting around for a little bit now. It looks like Gasper has been having trouble catching up to me with his eyes. He has to get used to this speed. He might not be able to replicate this speed with his body, like Kiba and I are, but he should at least be capable of following it visually. His power does rely on his eyes after all. It's not worth much if you can't freeze something because it moves too fast.

"I-It's no use, senpai! I can't keep up! It's too fast for me!"

Gasper shouted that to me who was speedily zig-zagging around, but I yelled back.

"Don't give up, Gasper! You can do it! Even if it takes all day, we'll get you to the point that at least you could stop me once! I have faith in you!"

"O-Okay! I'll try my best!"

Good, I was able to keep his motivation up. Let's just keep this tension, hopefully he'll catch me soon.

Somewhere around 2 additional hours passed before anything occurred. Staying in my Olympic Messenger armour for this long makes me wanna pass out. This is the longest I've stayed in it. But, at some point, Gasper's attempt to freeze me finally worked.

"..! Senpai, I did it!"

After Gasper unfroze me, I realised what happened.

"Wha..!? You did it?! Gasper, you did it! Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

I descended from my place above and came down to Gasper who had an elated expression.

"Nice one, Gasper!"

"Y-Yes! It's all thanks to you, senpai! ….But, I was still only able to do it once.."

"That's okay! What matters most is that you pulled it off. Because then, we know for sure that you can keep improving in that direction! So keep your head up!"

"Yes, senpai! Thank you very much!"

Gasper's eyes were lit up with motivation. That's my kouhai!

"So you're making progress, it seems, Ise-kun?"

The person who approached Gasper and I was Kiba. Looks like he and Xenovia have taken a break from their sparring. Judging from how much Kiba's sweating, it seems like he's been trying harder than usual.

"Yeah. It's small, but it's good enough. You look like you've been going pretty hard at it."

"Yes, well, that's…"

He paused for a moment while looking at me. It looked like he wanted to say something but he held back.

"Say, Ise-kun. How about we have a spar?"

"..? Between me and you? Sure, why not?"

I thought it was a normal request but Kiba's acting like it's an unusual one. He seemed surprised by how easily I accepted.. I mean, we sparred all the time in the past. What would be so different here?

Kiba and I stepped away from each other and prepared for a spar. But right before we started, Kiba requested something else.

"Ise-kun. When we fight, can you use your evolved knight form against me as well?"

"The Olympic Messenger? Okay, that's fine.."

I was still feeling off-put by his bizarre attitude, but I accepted it nonetheless. Fuck, I am exhausted from using it already. But if he wants it, I guess I can give it a little more..

[Jet!]

"..!"

Kiba made a shocked face when I charged him without warning. Even though we usually wait for each other to be ready due to Kiba's pride as a swordsman, I didn't give Kiba a chance this time. Sorry, but I've been de-conditioned by my training at Grigori. I don't know how much longer I'll be in this armour either, so I have no time to waste.

Kiba regained his composure enough to deflect my attack before I could close the distance entirely.

ZIN!

But it looks like my speed was still too much for him to react to initially, because his block was immediately broken upon deflection of my attack, leaving his stomach wide open.

I didn't hesitate and went straight for a punch that pushed his lower abdomen up into his solar plexus.

"Guh— Kuha!"

At first, blood only splurted from in between his teeth, but then he vomited more blood immediately after, as if he couldn't keep it in. I'm surprised. I didn't think that punch would've had enough power to do that much damage. My base strength really must have increased after all!

I didn't allow Kiba a moment to collect himself, I sent a kick to the side of his head. Because of the suddenness of the attack, Kiba couldn't react well enough so soon after taking that punch. Because of that, Kiba only had the chance to block with his arm instead of his sword.

BAM!

As a result of his faulty blocking technique, Kiba's arm made contact with his head and he still took damage from my kick. The hit sent Kiba tumbling, but he quickly repositioned himself. Despite that, he was still visibly disoriented.

I took advantage of Kiba's stupor and blasted towards him. However, before I could totally close the distance, Kiba had already swung his sword!

ZIN!

I dodged his attack at the last second thanks to my speed, but that one almost hit me! He must've pre-swung at me. I see. He can't keep up with my speed so he resorted to a prediction attack.

Wait.. Kiba can't keep up with me?

—Since I was forced to dodge Kiba's swing, I ended up blasting past him as a result. It was too difficult to take advantage of my momentum here.

However!

[Maximum Jet!]

Thanks to the mini thrusters on my arms and legs, I was able to grab onto the floor with my claws and spin around to kick Kiba in the back of the head.

BAM!

Kiba was sent crashing forward into the ground again. A direct strike to the head is gonna mess him up again. I'll take the chance of having him on the ground again!

Pshyooooooooooooooooooom!

Right after I launched myself towards Kiba, who was halfway through picking himself up on his hands and knees, I caught a glimpse of something. His eyes.

—His eyes looked completely demoralised.

(—?!)

I skid to an abrupt stop, destroying the ground along the way. Thanks to my thrusters, I was able to stop myself properly before reaching Kiba. I was left frozen in place.

"...Why did you stop?"

That was what Kiba asked me. I didn't have a response for him.

"...I just.."

It was then that I noticed the very subtle rumbling in my pocket. My phone!

I deactivated my armour and answered my phone almost immediately.

"Hello?"

[Yo, Ise. It's me. I got that stuff that you wanted set up.]

"O-Oh, okay. Thanks, Azazel!"

[You alright? Your tone is off.]

"Ah, yeah! It's nothing, I'm just tired from training is all!"

[I see. Well, everything's ready. Let me know when you are.]

"Yeah, thanks."

I hung the phone and pointed to it with an awkward smile.

"My bad, Kiba! I was waiting for that call so it kinda made me stop in my tracks, aha."

I gave Kiba that excuse, but I have no idea if he believed it. I couldn't even see his face properly anymore thanks to the hair hanging over his head.

"..I see. That's alright."

I couldn't tell at all what Kiba was feeling, but I don't think it was good.

"Ise-sama, what was Azazel-sensei calling you for?"

Whoa, Ravel snuck up on me and asked that!

"Oh! That was, um.."

Because of my hesitation to answer, Ravel had a stern expression.

"What did you do?"

"What, me? Nothing much, I just.. uh…"

Without asking me again, Ravel started pulling on my cheek.

"Ow, ow! It huwts! It huwts, wavel!"

---

Kiba

I lost.

No, I was beaten. With little hope for retaliation, I was completely defeated. Did I even have a chance? Maybe I did. But I was totally unprepared to face that level of threat.

Ise-kun's speed surpassed mine. By how much? Somewhat? A ton? What's the expression I would use to describe it? It wasn't so much that it was impossible to keep up with visually, but it was a difficult thing to do physically. I was forced to prepare every attack beforehand, and even then, I only had the chance to do that once.

Should I even be surprised? If anyone could grow so rapidly in such a short amount of time, it's Ise-kun. In comparison, someone like me..

I looked over to Ise-kun who was getting his cheek squeezed by Ravel-chan.

[The Sekiryuutei isn't the only one who exists in the Gremory group.] That's what I promised to make clear to the world. And yet, now, I…

—I lifted my head which was leaking blood up into the nonexistent sky of this false dimension.

...The old Ise-kun and I used to battle to the death. That's right. Ise-kun and I would spar with our lives on the line. He was the type of opponent that you could lose your life against if you didn't fight for real.

So then why at the moment that my belly was completely exposed, why didn't he use Ascalon to stab me? He had the chance to pierce right through me, but instead, he went for a punch.

The old Ise-kun wouldn't have killed me, but he still would've trusted that I could hold my own in a life-or-death spar. He would have stabbed me right there, and the duel would've been over with Asia healing me immediately afterwards.

But this time, he…

The entire fight, it wasn't the same. The old Ise-kun wouldn't have held back.

I asked myself once, "have we all really been so far surpassed?"

...With an opponent that doesn't even come at you with the intent to kill, can it be any more obvious..?

---

End

Hey guys. It's been a very, very long time. Some, or should I say, many of you have been wondering where exactly I went. A few of you already know through PMs, but for those who are about to find out, all I can say is that: it isn't just a regular hiatus.

Life has been really rough. And I mean that. In fact, this has easily been the worst year of my life. There's probably many people who would agree that this year of 2020 is absolutely terrible, but it has been especially terrible to me. I've been through a lot in life. There's a lot I can take. But this year really broke me.

Anyone who knows me knows that my worst nightmare in life is something happening to my siblings. I have several brothers and a couple of sisters. I of course grew up mainly surrounded by my brothers. None of our fathers stuck around very long, whether because they died or because they just didn't want to. As a result, we basically all raised each other. Growing up, my brothers were all I had. They are all I have. And this year, my words nightmare came true.

It started in April. My grandfather, who is my last living grandparent, tested positive for COVID. Because of the amount of old folks that are kept in elder homes, this was happening a lot where I live. This sent my family into disarray a bit. We spent the whole month trying to think of what to do, since he needed 24 hour care that we could provide, and we couldn't even visit him. At this point in time, he is still alive, but we aren't sure if that'll change unexpectedly. And it'll most likely leave him with permanent damages that shorten his already short lifespan.

Then May happened.

On May 20th, one of my brothers, Alex, died in a head collision with a Ford F-150. It was only a couple of weeks after I had seen him. He was always working so I didn't get to see him often, but I remember making plans with him so we could see each other more often. I didn't know that would be my last conversation with him. Thanks to COVID, we didn't get to have a proper funeral for him either. Although we did have family gatherings to make up for it. We had his "services" on May 29th, nine days after his death. 6 days after his death, May 26th, was the day of my brother Nathan's birthday.

But on that same day of Alex's services, nine days after his death, May 29th, my brother Nathan, who's birthday had just passed 3 days before, was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler after his car inexplicably stalled in the middle of the freeway. Two crashes only nine days apart. My brother Nathan survived his crash, but he was left with a severe brain trauma and was placed under a medically induced coma immediately after being admitted. They performed a craniotomy on him and he spent almost two months in the hospital. As of currently, he is in a rehabilitation center, receiving various forms of therapy for his recovery. He received severe damages to his occipital lobe and it's uncertain whether he'll be able to properly see, but his memories and ability to speak are intact.

Add to this, I and many of my family members live in southern California, which is not only a hotspot for the virus, but also ridden with chaos thanks to the George Floyd incident. During the time of my brother's hospitalization, many places were being burned and broken into all around us, and the doctors couldn't even provide my brother with proper care at the time because the trauma center was filled with head trauma patients and tear gas victims due to the protests. Of course this has all died down, aside from the virus which is running rampant, but it was tough.

So yeah, life hasn't been pretty. No one has been having a good time this year. We're all suffering. I'm not trying to make anyone feel sorry for me. I just wanted to provide the entire explanation for the uncharacteristically long hiatus.

For every one that's going through something, you can get through it. This year has not been nice to any of us. But it will pass one day. We'll get through it. Always, ALWAYS remember: Life gets better. But that doesn't mean life gives a fuck about you. It can take anything from you at any time at a moment's notice. Cherish your loved ones. People always say: "tell the people you love that you love them, because you never know if that'll be the last time." There's a reason this saying exists. Life is unpredictable and unfair, you must always be prepared for anything.

I'll try to get the next chapter for this story out when I can, as it was originally longer but I decided to split it up so that I could finally update. I'll do my best in regards to other stories too.

Read, Rate, Review, just like old times.

Stay safe guys.